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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chong, a former Pony Clubber, saw the need for a practical "everything but the riding" guide to preparing for competition. She has been a working student at eventing and dressage barns in California, the East Coast and Germany, and rides in U.S. Equestrian Federation, U.S. Eventing Association, and U.S. Dressage Federation recognized competitions.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Introduction
The Rider
Selection of Attire
Schooling Apparel, Hats and Helmets, Competition Attire
Finishing Off the Look
A Stick-y Situation: Artificial Aids, Boots, Jewelry, Hair,
Keeping the Look Fresh
Keeping Clean, Keeping Cool, Ladies Only, Barn Clothes
The Horse
Your Spick-and-Span Horse
Grooming, Methods of Restraint, Bathing,
Troubleshooting and Spot Cleaning
Hooves, White Markings, Clipping, Coat Problems, Sheath and
Udders, Chesnuts, Show Ring Shine
Coat and Mane Treatments
Trimming, Mane Pulling, Braiding, Clipping, Don't Bug Me! Dealing with
Insects
The Tack
Selection of Equipment
Quality, Style, Buying Used Tack
Care of Tack
Why Care for Tack, Everyday Cleaning, Special Occasion Tack Care,
Complete Cleaning and Conditioning, Agh! It's Alive: Neglected Tack,
Tack Storage, Tack Repair, or "My Hero, the Shoe Repair Guy"
The Show
Prepare to Compete
The Paper Chase, Chef D'Equipe, Labeling, The Traveling Horse,
Stall and Barn Setup, Studs, Countdown!, Ice and Poultice Treatments,
Laundry
Final Words
Helpful Lists
Competition Checklists
Other Sources of Information
About the Author
SAMPLE CHAPTER
EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER ONE
SELECTION OF ATTIRE SCHOOLING APPAREL
For schooling at home, you have a free rein in choosing what you want to wear. Many riders wear pants—jeans are a popular choice—and full or half chaps. (Here’s this book’s first cool tip: Rubbing a bar of soap along the length of the zipper on new chaps will cause it to slide more easily.) Others prefer to school in boots and breeches. Many riders have separate helmets and boots for schooling so as not to get their nice ones scuffed up from day-to-day wear and tear. If you want to wear your helmet for both schooling and shows, you can use a helmet cover. (Lycra helmet covers serve this purpose well, although if you have the option of using a helmet cover for competition (for example, for cross-country), satin or nylon ones are more appropriate.) If you are taking a lesson, make sure that you are dressed in such a way that your instructor can see your position: wear clothes that are reasonably form-fitting, and tuck in your shirt. A lesson is not the time for a big billowy poncho. Clean and polished boots present a tidy, professional appearance that shows that you respect your instructor’s time and knowledge and that you are serious about learning.
For riding in a clinic or an informal schooling show, forego the chaps and vented schooling helmets. Instead, wear conservatively colored breeches, polished boots, a belt if your breeches have belt loops, and a collared shirt such as a polo shirt, with your velvet helmet or hunt cap. Your neat appearance will make a good first impression on the clinician and spectators.
HATS AND HELMETS
I am a strong advocate of wearing protective headgear at all times while mounted on any horse for any activity. Although most of us know helmets are a good idea, many riders tend to get a little casual about wearing them, thinking, “I only need one if I’m jumping,” “My horse is so quiet,” or “It’s too hot for a helmet today.” But we usually need our helmet when we least expect it. My worst horse-related accident happened not while jumping or galloping or starting a green horse, but while I was on Amelia, my wonderful, bombproof first horse, trotting in a dressage arena. She hit a patch of footing that looked fine but was slippery under the surface, and we both went down. I landed on my head and was taken by ambulance to the emergency room and then to Intensive Care for what turned out to be a concussion. Thank goodness I was wearing my helmet—it may have saved my life, and it definitely saved me from a more severe head injury. As it is, I have no memory of the accident; when I finally came to in the middle of the night in the hospital, nine hours of my memory had been wiped out, including several hours before the fall. Friends had to fill me in on what happened.
Some helmets are labeled “Hat Notice and Warning: Item of Apparel Only” and others, “ASTM F-1163-00/SEI Certified.” Although they may have chinstraps and feel hard-shelled, the “item of apparel only” helmets are not likely to protect your head in a fall. ASTM/SEI helmets are designed and rigorously tested to self-destruct upon sufficient impact so that they will absorb the shock of a crash instead of allowing your brain to slam into your skull. They will need to be replaced if you’ve fallen on your head wearing one, but most ASTM/SEI manufacturers offer a generous replacement policy in such cases. You send the helmet back to the manufacturer, and they check it for structural integrity (you can’t tell with the naked eye whether or not the helmet is damaged). Then they either fix the helmet or send you a new one, either for free or at a very nominal price.
Some barns’ insurance policies require all riders to wear ASTM/SEI helmets. They are also required for all juniors when mounted and all adults when jumping at recognized hunter/jumper shows. As of 2003, they were required for the jumping phases of events as well. Due in part to these new rules, the designs of many of the current helmets are now better looking and better fitting than the ASTM/SEI helmets of a few years ago. My personal favorite for competing is the Troxel Grand Prix Gold velvet show helmet, and I school in a vented Troxel Legacy or GPA Titanium, which are cooler. Even if not required to wear an ASTM/SEI hat, consider wearing one anyway not only for your own safety, but also to set a good example for others.
COMPETITION ATTIRE
In choosing your competition attire, my advice is the same as I will later give you regarding tack: Buy high quality items that are classic enough in style to be useful year after year. Even if you are watching your budget, you can afford to bow to trends in smaller items such as shirts, gloves, and breeches. If you are a still-growing kid or teenager, you will be able to go a little more trendy since you’ll probably outgrow the stuff before it falls out of fashion.
The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF, formerly AHSA) rule book provides rules for what is allowable to wear in each discipline, but it is really no good as practical advice. What is legal according to the rules has little relation to what is actually acceptable according to the tradition of the individual sport and to its current fashions; tweed coats, for example, are within the rules in dressage, but no one has worn them in the dressage ring in the United States for years. What follows is a guideline of items of apparel that will probably always be appropriate in their respective sports, along with some current trends, tips, and recommendations.
DRESSAGE
The Timeless Look
Black velvet helmet or hunt cap (a top hat is okay if you’re really, really good; derbies are also legal but are less common) through fourth level, top hat for FEI
Black or dark blue dressage coat (four buttons down the front and cut longer than a hunt coat) through fourth level, black or dark blue (midnight blue) shadbelly for FEI; canary vest or vest points with shadbelly
White shirt
White stock tie with a horizontal plain gold stock tie pin
White gloves (black gloves are also okay at the lower levels, but white is more common)
White breeches (preferably full seat)
Black or dark brown belt (if the breeches have belt loops)
Black dressage boots (dress boots are also okay; field boots are allowed but if you plan to show in dressage frequently, get dress or dressage boots)
Recent Trends
Dark blue coat with cream breeches, often seen with cream shirt, stock tie, gloves, and saddle pad. This color scheme looks especially nice with brown tack.
High waisted breeches (often beltless)—these tend to flatter the figure and look especially good under shadbellies
Velvet lapels, with or without gold or silver piping
Dark blue top hat or hunt cap (to match coat)
Washable coat
Super-stiff dressage boots with square toes, zippers up the inside of the leg, and Spanish tops (higher on the outside than the inside)
Stock Ties
Although I didn’t have this option at Pony Club competitions (where riders who wear stock ties must use the conventional and untied sort), I much prefer to ride in a stock tie bib, also called a dickey. Since it looks so much better if you tie it yourself, I use an untied (instead of pre-tied) stock tie bib with Velcro at the back. I tie it at home or in the trailer in front of a mirror and pin it, then take it off and leave it until I need it. Thus I avoid a last-minute scramble to get my stock tie tied perfectly—it is already tied to my satisfaction and all I have to do is Velcro it on at the neck and secure it around the waist and I’m ready to go. Be sure to buy the kind with Velcro at the neck, though; without Velcro or snaps or something, you can’t tie it beforehand, defeating the whole purpose. I also like stock tie bibs because when the weather is hot enough to be very uncomfortable but not hot enough for coats to be waived, I can wear a stock tie bib over a sports bra with my coat on top and eliminate the extra shirt layer. This does mean, however, that I must warm up with my coat on!
Stock Ties Part Deux
When I went to Lexington, Kentucky for the USPC National Championships for dressage in 1995, I was the only one on my five-member team who knew how to tie a stock tie. So all week I tied stock ties not only for myself, but for my three other riding team members (the stable manager doesn’t ride). On the last day of competition, there was a stock-tying competition between the thirty-four teams. The horse management judges let us choose whether to enter the “poofy” or “crisp” division. I tied my teammate Christy’s stock tie, and won the poofy division! So if you want to learn “crisp” go elsewhere, but to learn “poofy,” follow this guide:
Gloves
White gloves have got to be the most impractical item of clothing we wear in dressage. One ride and they are no longer white! For this reason, I always choose washable white gloves instead of the conventional leather kind. I like the cotton ones with rubber pebbles all over the palms and fingers for grip. They are ridiculously inexpensive, and you can throw them in the wash. If you Velcro them to the belt loops of your show breeches, they won’t get lost in the laundry and they’ll be there when you need them at your next show. They don’t last forever, but by the time they are looking a little ragged, it is likely that they also are not as bright white as they once were. These gloves are so economical that you probably won’t balk at replacing them. Retired show gloves can always enjoy a second life as part of your schooling wardrobe, too!
Breeches
Except for my coat, I don’t buy any riding clothes that I have to dry clean. All my breeches are required to go in the wash. Suede full seats seem to do fine, but leather full seats will get stiff and scratchy over time, making them very uncomfortable to ride in. To remedy this, simply turn your breeches inside out and rub a thin layer of Carr & Day & Martin Leather Balsam (or Passier Lederbalsam or another such conditioner) on the inside of the leather. This is the flesh side and it will absorb better. Hang the breeches up and allow the leather to air dry indoors for several days. You can then wear them. They will be much softer and suppler, but if they are too sticky for your liking, you can wash them before wearing. At first, the leather seat on the outside will have darker and lighter colored spots due to differing amounts of conditioner, but the discoloration will even out with wear. You will probably not need to repeat this process very often—perhaps once every year or two, depending on how much the breeches are worn and washed.
Top Hats and Derbies
Although the rulebook says that competitors may wear protective headgear at any level without penalty, it is more appropriate for upper level competitors to wear top hats. If you are very good it is okay to wear a top hat at the lower levels (from a style standpoint; helmets, of course, are safer). I see no reason for derbies. They are not that flattering nor are they fashionable in the United States (although they are worn frequently in Europe); you might as well have the extra protection of a helmet if you are not going to wear a top hat. Other than the absence of any protection whatsoever for the head (the most serious drawback), the big problem with top hats and derbies is keeping them in place. A helmet is kept in place by its harness. A hunt cap usually will just stay on. But top hats and derbies are more precarious. If you wear your hair in a bun for competitions, you can help steady your top hat/derby with a simple method. Sew a very, very thin string of elastic into the lining of your headgear so that one end is above your left ear and the other above your right ear. The length of elastic should pass around the back of your head, under your bun. This will stabilize your hat a bit, but it won’t be enough if a big gust of wind hits you from the front. Another trick is to stitch or stick the hook part of Velcro (the stiff plastic part, not the fuzzy part) around the inside of your hat so that it Velcros onto your hair and hairnet. (Note: Your hair will look rather funky when you take the hat off!) If your hat is tight, this Velcro arrangement could be uncomfortable, but it will help the hat stay in place. On a really windy day, though, the best advice is to leave your top hat or derby in the barn and wear a helmet—you will have enough to think about without wondering just when your hat is planning to go flying through the air and just where it will decide to land.
EVENTING: DRESSAGE PHASE
The Timeless Look
Black velvet helmet or hunt cap with a short coat; a top hat with a shadbelly (only for three-day events or advanced horse trials)
Black or dark blue dressage coat (four buttons down the front and cut longer than a hunt coat) for horse trials through intermediate and three-day events through the two star level, black or dark blue (midnight blue) shadbelly for three-day events (any level) or advanced horse trials
White shirt
White stock tie with a horizontal plain gold stock tie pin
Black gloves—white are also acceptable but rarely seen at events except with shadbellies (I usually wear white anyway)
Beige breeches—white may also be worn but is less common than beige; fewer people wear full seat breeches than in a dressage show
Black or dark brown belt (if the breeches have belt loops)
Black boots—dress, field, dressage, or hunting (with brown tops) are all acceptable, although field boots are most common
Recent Trends
Darker, greenish-beige breeches (Tailored Sportsman or imitations) as seen in the hunter world.
Dessage Clothing
You may dress for the dressage phase of an event just as if you were competing at a dressage show, or you may choose to follow the conventions specific to eventing.
Stock Ties
See Dressage for stock tie selection tips.
Hunter Clothing
It is also acceptable (although less common) to go into the dressage phase of an event in hunter-style attire. As a matter of fact, you could do this at a dressage show as well and nobody would kick you out. If you show chiefly in the hunter-jumper world with just an occasional foray into eventing or dressage, by all means wear your hunter attire. But if your focus is more on dressage and/or eventing, it is best to choose clothes that are more mainstream in these sports.
EVENTING: CROSS-COUNTRY
The Timeless Look
Jockey-style helmet (e.g., International Euro Eventer, Charles Owen Pro Skull Cap, Lexington Trac Star) with satin or nylon (not lycra) helmet cover
Cross-country vest (Tipperary vests are preferred)
Polo shirt, long-sleeved shirt, or sweater, depending on the weather
Gloves
Beige or white breeches
Boots—dress, field, hunt, black, brown
Cross-country watch
Medical armband
Recent Trends
You can have a little fun in designing your cross-country attire. Many people choose one or two colors as a theme and coordinate their vest, helmet cover, and shirt to match. You can also take that a little further and wear colored gloves and breeches, and put a matching saddlepad on your horse. But when you also coordinate your horse’s galloping boots, browband, and two-toned petal bell boots you have, in my opinion, crossed the line of good taste! Color coordinate, but be understated.
Helmet Rubber Band
Because there is no brim to anchor the helmet cover in place, helmet covers on jockey-style helmets are prone to slipping or coming off entirely during your cross-country go. Bit of Britain sells a great solution very inexpensively: a large rubber band that goes over the cover to hold it firmly in place. You have plenty to worry about while you’re going around cross-country—you don’t need to worry about losing your helmet cover too!
Medical Armband
If you have just begun eventing in the past couple of years, remembering to wear your medical armband for the jumping phases may not be much of a problem. But if you are one of us dinosaurs from the pre-medical armband era (1997 and earlier), you may tend to forget this new rule. You will not be allowed to compete in either jumping phase, nor will you be allowed to warm up for these phases, without a complete, up-to-date medical armband of the correct color (the USEA changes the color of the medical card every year or so). To make myself remember mine, I plant it in a strategic place the day before. Some of my favorite locations are:
• Looped through my belt
• Stuck in my helmet
• Hooked to my cross-country vest
• Attached to the girth for my jumping saddle
If you stick your armband in any of these places, it will be very difficult to forget, because you’ll see it as you’re getting ready. I guarantee you, you won’t forget your girth for cross-country, so you’ll be sure to remember that armband. And if you do forget to put it on your arm before you head out, it will be there anyway, dangling from your belt or smushed in your helmet. (Far better than having to gallop back to the trailer or barn to find it when you’re running late anyway!)
Pinnies
It is really distracting to have your pinny come untied and start flying around while you’re warming up or on course. Prevent this from happening by securing it well before you get on. Put the pinny on over your vest and thread the strings from the back of your pinny through the lacing at the sides of your vest to stabilize it. Tie each set of strings with a square knot (right over left, left over right) or, better yet, a surgeon’s knot (right over left twice, then left over right) and then tie into a bow. Tie the loops of the bow together (like double knotting a shoelace). Your pinny will be a pain to take off, but it won’t come untied while you’re riding either!
If you have more than one horse to ride cross-country, first put on the pinny with the number of your last horse. On top of that, put the second to last horse, and so on. That way when you’ve finished each cross-country run, you can simply remove the top pinny and you’re ready to go for the next one—no arriving at the start box with the wrong number, no last minute scramble because you can’t find your next pinny.
Extra Security
Cross-country is an extreme sport. And you usually can’t win if you fall off. To give yourself a little extra grip, wrap Vetrap around the tread of your stirrups. You can coordinate with your cross-country colors if you wish, but black would never be inappropriate. There are also special stirrup pads which offer extra grip (e.g., Sure Grip pads), but you may also want to smear your saddle with Sadl-Tite, a grippy substance that comes on a stick and will help you keep from slipping. After your ride, use castile soap or another cleanser to get rid of the Sadl-Tite. Bienenwachs Lederpflege-Cre`me leather balsam (in the orange tub) also works well, with the added advantage that you won’t need to remove it when you’re done. It will also condition and waterproof your leather to some degree, although I still prefer Passier Lederbalsam and Carr & Day & Martin as conditioners. Full seat breeches will also give you a little more purchase on your saddle.
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